Trade Fight Heats Up As Obama, Reid Battle For Votes
Source: The Hill
By Alexander Bolton - 05/07/15 05:49 PM EDT
President Obama and Harry Reid are battling one another for Democratic support ahead of an important vote on trade next week.
Reid, the Senate Democratic leader, is trying to hold his caucus together and stop Republicans from moving quickly to legislation giving Obama fast-track trade authority
Obama sees fast-track as one of his top priorities, and the White House is hoping the Senate will move forward on the legislation before the Memorial Day recess. The authority would pave the way forward for a pact the White House is negotiating with 11 Asian and Latin American countries.
Lobbying has intensified head of a pivotal procedural vote scheduled for Tuesday.
Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/241399-trade-fight-heats-up-as-obama-reid-battle-for-votes
merrily
(45,251 posts)hedda_foil
(16,375 posts)Keep those dukes up and stay on your toes and perhaps, just perhaps, we may beat back this crappy deal and the European deal that comes next.
Phlem
(6,323 posts)I've been following you for too long.
denbot
(9,900 posts)I have great respect for my President, but on this issue, with the information I have to go on, I stand with Harry!
Flying Squirrel
(3,041 posts)Particularly when he kept backing off on changing filibuster rules. But I'll take it all back if he kills fast track.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)From the linked article:
I can't imagine why the trade bill is so vitally important that it would trump the [NSA] bill, which is going to expire at the end of this month, or trump the highway bill, which authorization expires at the end of this month. I can't imagine what the rush is, he said Tuesday.
Reid also says fast-track should not move without a promise from Republicans to move Trade Adjustment Assistance, which helps workers displaced by increased trade; a customs enforcement bill; and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which gives trade preferences to developing nations.
That leads me to believe that, if Obama and McConnell don't have enough right-wing votes to pass this right-wing bill, they can round up a few more Democrats by promising these concessions.
DCBob
(24,689 posts)Almost seems like a setup.. like a good cop bad cop thing. Dont know but it sure is weird.